Mordenite

  Mordenite is a rare zeolite mineral with the chemical formula, (Ca,Na₂,K₂)Al₂Si₁₀O₂₄·7(H₂O). It is a zeolite.

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It was first described in 1864 by Henry How. He named it after the small community of Morden, Nova Scotia, Canada, along the Bay of Fundy, where it was first found.

Mordenite is orthorhombic. It crystallizes in the form of fibrous aggreagates, masses, snd vertically striated prismatic crystals. It may be colorless, white, or faintly yellow or pink. It has Mohs hardness of 5 and a density of 2.1. When it forms well developed crystals they are hairlike; very long, thin, and delicate.

The mineral is found in volcanic rock such as rhyolite, andesite, and basalt. It is associated with other zeolites such as stilbite and heulandite. Good examples have been found in Iceland, India, Italy, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.

Use

Synthetic Mordenite is used as a catalyst in the petrochemical industry for the acid-catalyzed isomerisation of alkanes and aromatics.

References

• Mordenite information from Mineral galleries
• Webmineral
• Mindat with location data